Travel, Photography and Tattooing: The Story Behind a Mentawai Tattoo in Barcelona
Some tattoos begin with a sketch.
Others begin with a story.
Juan Cristóbal’s tattoo began thousands of miles from Barcelona, deep in the rainforests of Indonesia.
A travel photographer and expedition guide, Juan has spent much of his life exploring remote cultures around the world. During one of his journeys through Indonesia, he had the opportunity to live alongside the Mentawai people, one of the best-known Indigenous communities of the Mentawai Islands, located off the western coast of Sumatra.
The Mentawai are renowned for preserving many of their ancestral traditions, including one of the world’s oldest continuous tattooing practices. For centuries, tattooing has been an essential part of their identity, spirituality, and relationship with the natural world.
During his stay, Juan became fascinated not only by the beauty of the tattoos themselves, but by everything they represented.
For the Mentawai, tattoos are far more than decoration. They express identity, life experience, spiritual beliefs, and the close relationship between each individual and the forest they inhabit. Every motif carries meaning, and every tattoo tells part of a person’s story.
When Juan returned to Barcelona, one idea remained with him.
He wanted his very first tattoo.
The Beginning of the Project
Juan arrived at Folk Tattoo without a fully defined idea.
He knew he wanted a tattoo inspired by his experience with the Mentawai people, but he wasn’t sure which design to choose or how to translate that experience into something personal.
After just a few minutes talking with Jorge Terán, however, he knew he had come to the right place.
As they discussed his journey, Juan shared several of the photographs he had taken during his time with the tribe and pointed out one particular tattoo design that had stayed with him long after returning home.
The Sepippurat: An Ancestral Motif
Among all the references, one design stood out above the rest.
It was the Sepippurat, one of the traditional tattoo motifs found within the visual language of the Mentawai people.
Within Mentawai culture, these motifs form part of a symbolic system that has been passed down through generations and is deeply connected to personal identity, tradition, and cultural heritage.
Using Juan’s photographs as the starting point, together with historical references and ethnographic publications available in the studio’s library, Jorge developed several custom interpretations that respected the original design while adapting it to Juan’s anatomy and personal story.
Tattoo Day
When the day of the appointment arrived, Juan was presented with several design options.
After discussing placement, proportions, and a few final adjustments, the project was ready to begin.
It was the tattoo he had been thinking about ever since returning from Indonesia.
[Insert photographs of the tattooing process]
Around two hours later, Juan left the studio wearing his very first tattoo.
A design that may appear simple at first glance, but one that carries a remarkable personal story, inspired by a journey, a culture, and a profound respect for one of the world’s oldest tattoo traditions.
A permanent reminder of an experience that changed the way he understood tattooing.
Custom Tribal Tattoos at Folk Tattoo Barcelona
At Folk Tattoo Barcelona, we create custom tribal tattoo projects inspired by traditional cultures from around the world, always approaching each project with respect, research, and a deep understanding of its cultural context.
Every tattoo begins with consultation, research, and a fully custom design process. Whether inspired by Polynesian, Māori, Borneo, Mentawai, Filipino, or other tribal traditions, our goal is never to reproduce existing patterns, but to create original compositions that honour both the cultural origins of the designs and the personal story of each client.
Both @jorgeteran and @elmanutattooer will guide you through every stage of the process, helping transform your ideas into a meaningful tattoo designed specifically for you.
You can explore more of our artists’ work on Instagram::
@jorgeteran
@elmanutattooer
And follow the studio here:
@folktattoobcn
If you’re looking for a custom tribal tattoo in Barcelona or would like to develop a project inspired by traditional cultures from around the world, we’d be delighted to help you turn your experience into a unique and meaningful piece of tattoo art.
